County Launches Disaster Preparedness Campaign

With the goal of helping the public become prepared for disasters, the county has launched an online campaign called Ready Ventura County.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Ad Council helped the county launch the campaign.

The basic message is: Assemble a disaster preparedness kit, have an emergency plan and be informed. To that end, the county has launched the website readyventuracounty.org. There are also Ready Ventura County Facebook and Twitter accounts.

In addition to preparedness information, the website will display current information in the event of an emergency and inform residents of hazards in the area.

The campaign was launched at the 2011 Ventura County Schools Disaster Preparedness Challenge and Contest awards ceremony held Monday. Awards were presented to students, schools and school districts that participated in a disaster preparedness art and video contest.

“When unexpected natural or manmade emergencies occur, our greatest individual defense is preparedness,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Bob Roper, as he addressed the audience of students, families and educators Monday evening. “Our hope is that these projects have and will continue to facilitate discussions in the schools and assist families in being better prepared.”